


Never a perfect moment

by Alecto



Series: Fictober 2020 [3]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Anniversary, Established Relationship, Fictober 2020, Light Angst, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Post-Canon, Romance, Surprises
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-09
Updated: 2020-12-09
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:29:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27977382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alecto/pseuds/Alecto
Summary: Seven years together and Seto still found new ways to surprise him. Fortunately, Jounouchi has something up his sleeve too.
Relationships: Jounouchi Katsuya | Joey Wheeler/Kaiba Seto
Series: Fictober 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2007610
Comments: 8
Kudos: 51





	Never a perfect moment

**Author's Note:**

> Fictober 2020 Day 3 prompt: "you did this?" 

With a tired sigh, Jounouchi crossed the threshold, lingering several moments in the darkened entry to shed his shoes without turning on the lights, and trudged further into the penthouse, resigned to another night on his own. Seto was currently out of town—America, specifically—for business. While Jounouchi hated to think of himself as clingy, there was no arguing with the fact that he missed his boyfriend when they spent an extended period apart. 

More likely, Jounouchi felt extra morose this time as their anniversary fell right in the middle of the business trip. They'd talked about it beforehand, and Jounouchi understood that Seto couldn't help the scheduling conflict. It sucked, but they agreed to belatedly celebrate the following week after Seto returned.

It was the thought that counted. 

Besides, they could throw a dart at a calendar, and any date it struck would be the anniversary of another milestone in their extended and complicated courtship. Be it the first time they casually hooked up, or the first time Jounouchi asked Seto on a proper date, or the hesitant first time they'd exchanged barely audible "I love you's."

One good thing about Seto being gone was that it allowed him to take a day trip to Sendai to pick up a special something. That something now sat heavy as a leaden weight in Jounouchi's jacket pocket. He'd spent most of the train ride back to Domino staring at it, turning it over and over in his hands as he wondered if he'd made the right choice. Now that he was home, he needed to find a safe hiding place to stow the thing until he was ready to give it to Seto.

If that time ever even came...

From the edge of the living room, lights flickered. Curious, Jounouchi crossed into the dining room to investigate. The housekeeper wasn't due to make her weekly visit for two more days. Even if she stopped by early at Seto's request, she should be long gone by now.

His breath caught in his throat, thanks to the sight that greeted him. A silver candelabra sat in the center of their dining room table, boosting a handful of long, tapered candles. Two covered trays were arranged in front of his and Seto's usual seats. Fancy tablecloth and napkins. Silverware polished to a sheen that he could use them as mirrors. The only thing missing was the bouquet of red roses, and this would be the sort of candlelit dinner scene ripped straight out of Shizuka's favorite romance movies.

But as Jounouchi moved closer, other details became evident and disturbed the once-perfect picture. Long threads of melted wax running down their sides hinted to how long ago the candles had been lit. The wine glass in Seto's place setting was missing, and the opened bottle of red was already half-drained. He lifted a cover to confirm his suspicions. The food underneath, expertly plated and arranged, had long gone cold.

"You're back," said a familiar voice behind him. 

Jounouchi jumped and dropped the lid with a clatter. He spun to find his boyfriend, very much not currently in San Francisco, leaning against the dining room's doorjamb with the missing wine glass in hand. "Shit! You scared the hell outta me, Seto! When'd you even get back?"

Blinking slowly, Seto shrugged. The movement emphasized the delicious fit of his waistcoat. No tie and no jacket, though. Jounouchi's gaze traced the clean, crisp lines of his well-fitted outfit up that lean torso and spread across his steadfast shoulders. His boyfriend was definitely dressed like a movie star out of one of Shizuka's movies, a romantic hero ready to woo some unsuspecting heroine. 

"This morning," Seto replied after several delayed beats. 

Jounouchi approached carefully and stopped short of touching the other man. "Is something wrong? Did something happen with your meetings? You weren't supposed to be back until next—"

Seto interrupted him. "Nothing's wrong. I came back early on purpose. I—" He licked his lips nervously and drained the dredges of his wine before continuing, "Wanted to surprise you. For our anniversary."

It was Jounouchi's turn to stare and blink owlishly at his boyfriend. Seven years, give or take, and Seto still found new ways to surprise him. 

"Oh," he said dumbly.

Casting his gaze downward, Seto fiddled with the stem of his wine glass. "Yes, well, it was a foolish idea. A waste of both of our times since you clearly had other plans—" He stopped himself with a clench of his jaws. His nostrils flared.

Carefully, Jounouchi reached out and rested a hand on his boyfriend's elbow, hoping the touch would ease the other man's sudden tension. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to mess up your plan. If I'd known, I wouldn't—"

"Stop," snapped Seto. He put the empty wine glass down on a console table next to the doorway. "You have nothing to apologize for. I told you I'd be unavailable, and you took me at my word. I can't fault you for making other plans."

"You're not gonna ask me where I went?" asked Jounouchi.

"No," stated Seto. But his eyes and the pinched corners of his mouth told a different story. 

Were this earlier in their relationship, Seto definitely would have asked in the most aggressive tone he could muster. And not because he felt especially entitled to Jounouchi or his time, but simply because Jounouchi would have had the gall to ruin his careful plans, albeit unintentionally. Now, he likely wanted to know because he enjoyed knowing things about Jounouchi. But him not pressing the issue spoke volumes to how much he'd grown as a person and how they'd grown as a couple. 

If he put himself in Seto's shoes, he'd feel unbearably disappointed about not getting to celebrate their anniversary together after putting in this much effort and work. It looked like his boyfriend had been drinking alone to fill the void as he waited for Jounouchi to come home. Seto liked to pretend he was in control of himself and his feelings. Which was a complete joke to anyone who'd been acquainted with his extremely volatile teenage self. Still, Jounouchi sensed the edge of doubt and insecurity lurking beneath the surface.

Then again, they'd both had their fair shares of ups and downs over the course of their unconventional relationship. The miracle was that they'd stayed together and that they'd built something precious and uniquely theirs. If anything, Jounouchi now loved Kaiba Seto a thousand-fold more than when he first dared to give voice to the notion two years ago.

He was sure of that.

Jounouchi shifted his weight, and the item in his pocket knocked against his hip. He clasped Seto's free hands gently, rubbing his thumbs along the heel, then those bony wrists. It happened gradually, but the tension dissolved in his boyfriend as his shoulders sagged almost imperceptibly. 

"I went to Sendai," offered Jounouchi. "Took a day trip there and back to pick up something."

Seto turned over one hand to laced their fingers together. "You couldn't have it sent here?" A bit of the patented Kaiba Seto bitterness bled into the question. His boyfriend definitely stung from his unintentional snub.

He sucked in a sharp breath. "No. It was too important. Couldn't risk it getting lost in the mail or worse, you seeing it first."

Seto tensed. "Why's that?"

There would never be a perfect moment, Jounouchi realized. There would be some right ones, though. And this felt like a right one. 

"Cuz I also have a surprise for you. I got it custom-made, so I hope you like it, Seto." He released Seto's hand, whose fingers weren't threaded with his, and fumbled for the small, velvet box in his pocket. Opening it one-handed proved unwieldy, but he somehow managed. 

Seto squeezed his hand. "You did this?" he asked breathlessly.

Smiling shyly, he looked up into his boyfriend's wide, blue eyes and shell-shocked expression. "Sorta, I worked with an artist that Anzu introduced me to. I helped her come with the design, and she even let me pour the mold. That was pretty cool."

A tremor ran through Seto's hand as he plucked Jounouchi's gift from the box. The white-gold ring, set with a sapphire and a ruby stone, glinted in the low candlelight.

"Happy anniversary, Seto. Will you marry me?"

**Author's Note:**

> So often I have Kaiba doing the asking in other fics. Figured it was about time that Jounouchi got to do it. <3


End file.
